Past of an Exoricist
by Sasoridoll
Summary: About the past of Allen Walker from the day he was found by Mana to the end when his Master, Cross, accepted him as his apprentice. review! my newest dgm story! 14 chapters so far! thanx 4 all the favs!
1. Prologue

_Five years ago…_

_A middle-aged man-not even past his mid thirties- lingered through his town at midnight. It was snowing lightly and the snow glittered from the flickering street lamp. Christmas decorations covered the town flooding it with bright lights that are now dim. The man past by an old church where he heard faint crying. He paused for a moment. "Who is that?" He turned frantically wondering where the crying was coming from. _

_He heard a shift in position behind the church and ran behind it. There lying in the snow was a little boy not even a quarter of his height. He was lying there balling his eyes out. He wore a dirty white rag for clothes and his left arm was bloody. He had horrible bruises everywhere and it almost sounded like he was choking out his cries. The man walked forward quietly and slowly trying not to scare the boy. He extended his arm a little but pulled it back not sure what to say. _

_The boy heard the faint crushing of the snow in front of him and immediately froze. He removed his bloody hands from his face to stare up at him. He put his arm in front of him trying to protect himself. He whined heavily hoping that the man wouldn't hurt him. Many outsiders hurt and beat him like he was a worthless animal and he didn't want it to happen again. His parents abandoned him by dropping him off into this village where he hid. His hair was an auburn color though it was hard to tell from all the snow and dirt in his hair. His face was bruised up but not to bad to see that he had a very small and an angelic face under them. _

_The man stared blankly for a moment pondering the scrabbled thoughts in his mind. He then smiled and extended his hand as if towards a friend. Although a smile covered his face worry still showed in his eyes. "Here." His voice was as soft as a single note making the little boy a little more comfortable but still alarmed. He knelt down to the ground on one knee his arm still extended, "I sorry for whoever did this to you… but I promise… I'll take care of you." His comforting words took the boy deeply. No one had ever told him that before. He struggled as he tried to sit himself up so he could see the man's eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks making his bruises and cuts burn more. _

_The boy extended his hand so his touched the man's. He was still crying by the shock of the man's words. The man's smile grew, "My name… his Mana. Mana Walker." Mana took the boy in his arms and started carrying him off to home. "And your name shall be," He thought for a moment, "Allen. Allen Walker." _

"_Ma…na…?" Allen looked down, his eyes wide in confusion. "Allen…" He stared off into the foggy distance. He could just faintly see the figures of small houses. To him right now-unlike any other winter-the snow looked beautiful to him. Allen leaned his head against Mana's chest. He closed his eyes and started drifting off dreaming of the house that he would live in from now on… _


	2. Remembering the Past

Present…

Allen searched frantically around his room searching for the object he wished to find. His boots rubbed against the wooden chest as he searched through it. The sun shined brightly through his window hitting the corner of his room with a brilliance that made the color of his room sparkle.

After a few more minutes young Allen finally gave up making his body droop over the edge of the chest. "I can't find it…" He groaned kicking his knee to the chest.

"Find what?" Mana walked into the room cleaning off his filthy hands with a dish towel. Allen stood up and walked over to Mana who was now sitting on the ledge of the window. Allen pounced onto his lap smiling hugely. "Now, what did you want to find?"

Allen paused for a moment, "I don't know. It just felt like today was a day to find something special."

Mana chuckled, "Well you might feel that way because today's your birthday."

Allen looked up clueless, "Birth…day?"

He nodded, "Well maybe not technically. But today is the day that I found you exactly five years ago. December 25, or in other words, Christmas."

"Oh…" Allen looked down slowly then back out the window. Thick snow covered the icy pavement while the sky was a milky white. It seemed really warm to be the winter let alone Christmas. "Father?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you save me that day?" Both Mana and Allen's expressions turned serious as he held up his deformed hand. "Everyone that I've met in my life so far treated me like I was some sort of… monster." He choked out the word "monster". He put his hands in front of him so he and Mana could see. "Am I really all that different?"

Allen looked up to see Mana staring off into the distance, his mouth struggling to choke out an answer. Mana sighed and stared off to the front where the doorway was. "Some… Some people are just born unblessed sometimes that's all. You're no different, even if others say so." Mana took his hands and held him in his own. "I'm not saying you're unblessed. But even if you were, those faults that someone **could **have can turn into a blessing." Mana looked down to find that Allen's hand was shaking. Allen looked up with tears in his eyes. He laughed, "Little kids shouldn't cry on their birthdays!"

"Mana…" He took his father's hand and squeezed it tightly, "Thanks." Allen looked out the window again. The church was just a few blocks away and he could barely make it out from the faint fog. "I remember that night kind of. I was cold and I felt…"

Mana listened silently continuing to stare out the window with him.

"I felt numb like I was beginning to fade from this world. My arm hurt a lot that day but only a little cause I couldn't feel anything else. Mana…?"

"Hm?" He said in a melancholy tone. He didn't want to hear this. He was almost off somewhere but his hearing stayed in tacked.

"Is it weird to want to keep those memories?"

Mana smiled and exhaled through his nose. "No, in fact I think it's a good memory to keep. To remember what you looked like then and what you do now… That's one hell of a change. I'd never erase that memory from my mind no matter how painful because you were in it, kid."

The father and the son both looked out the window together now seeing the sun shine brightly out of the clouds…


	3. A day not in a While

Allen clung to Mana pouncing around beside him. Mana was doing a favor for a friend (more or less a good friend) by delivering a pot to a local diner. Allen felt excited. He's never been to a diner before, he's always settled with the food that Mana always brought home. Mana griped the pot firmly in his hands making sure it wouldn't fall to the ground from Allen's excitement.

The town's folk never really paid attention to Allen while they walked amongst the town. Seeing he wasn't very important, just a person to fill a house in this town. Occasionally at least one out of four people would send him a disgusted glare but Allen was too excited to notice. Mana noticed though and shot one back at them with his occasion silent growl.

Mana finally stopped, staring up at a sign that read Charles's Diner. Allen quickly followed his gaze his grin getting bigger. Mana looked down at him, "Do you promise to be good?" Allen nodded enthusiastically. "If you are I'll get you something to eat here." He smiled along with his son as they entered the restaurant.

The place felt stuffy. How could anyone stand to eat in there? The food smelt good but the place was so crowded that anyone with enough sense would order take-out. Mana's smile eventually faded as the people either eating or waiting on their order stared up at Allen. Most of them had blank expressions while most just ignored him completely _tsk_-ing the site of him there. How is it that they always follow their gazes to his hand?

The people who were staring suddenly burst out in laughter running up to the boy who seemed a little startled. They all yelled his name coming up to shake his hand. "How are you doing Allen, my boy!? We haven't seen you here! It's nice to see you again!" A chubby man with an incredibly low tone chuckled rubbing his hand in Allen's hair making it seem like he just got out of bed.

"It's been so long! How are you?" A young women around her 3o's spoke up over the crowd. Allen was surrounded in a matter of seconds with loving neighbors and people. He was incredibly happy in his little circle though he felt a little suffocated. A drunk who was just there for the laughs exhaled his breath toward Allen making him feel a little dizzy.

Mana admired from a distance. He never would have thought this would happen. He sighed happily while turning to face the clerk at the counter. He was an over weight man though he wasn't as big as the man with Allen. His white, food covered apron covered his plain red shirt and green pants. His hat was slanted a little, almost enough to seem like it was about to fall off but it stayed in place on top of his greasy light brown hair.

Mana's kept his expression calm and professional though you could see the disgust in his eyes. "Boss, Farrell wanted to return this to you." His voice was high and smart trying to speak over the crowd that still surrounded Allen. The man named Boss put an elbow on the table.

He stared at him impatiently trying to pick up a glass cup from the counter without looking. "Aren't you a little old to be talking to your elders in your manner?" He grunted at almost every word. He grabbed the dishrag from his shoulder and started to shine the cup.

"I don't have to talk polite to you." He replied coldly sitting on one of the chairs. "You're barely older than me. Just by two years."

He sighed, "I know you're still mad at me but you're wasting your youth taking care of that… that _thing_."

"Your remark didn't stop me then and it's not now. He's a human like everyone else. You should know that some people are born with faults."

"I know but he's fault's not normal!" He yelled in a whisper. "He has a freakin' cross embedded in his hand. How is _that _a born fault!?" Boss slammed the glass onto the counter but not hard enough for the place to fall silent. "Damn it!" He went over to the liquor shelf and grabbed himself a bottle. "Now look what you did! I'm starting to drink!"

"This little argument shouldn't have worked you up so much that you felt the need to drink. It's not my fault." He ran a hand through his hair. Boss drank huge gulps from the bottle and set it down. He wiped a stream from his chin. "You know you get intoxicated fast if you drink like that. You need to take it easy." He sighed.

"How can I take it easy when your-!?" He stopped seeing Mana's cold glare.

Mana calmed down looking back at the crowd. "He's finally been able to have a normal life as a child. Don't ruin it for him. He deserves this more than any of us."

Boss belched, red in the face, looking more intoxicated than he did a few minutes ago. "Hoho! Now you think he's better than all of us!" He started to shout now.

He sighed, "You that's not what I meant." He turned towards him again making his expression more serious, "And stop drinking will ya? You're getting yourself stirred up again."

"I can drink however the hell I want! Is your little _angel _of a son too good to drink!?"

"Now you're just getting ridiculous!" Mana snickered. "Give me the bottle."

Boss threw the bottle to the ground making all of the customers go quiet. "Fucking make me!" He took advantage of the quiet and pointed to Allen who was now staring in concern.

"What do you think you're-!?"

"That _thing _is the reason this all started to happen!" Allen gasped, his eyebrows both turning into the shape of a "u". "That monster needs to disappear!"

"Shut up Boss!" Mana yelled, standing trying to get in his face. The crowd that surrounded Allen began to step away from him but froze looking dumfounded at Boss.

"I want that _thing _**out **of my restaurant! Get out!" Boss picked up the glass he was cleaning before and threw it at Allen. It hit his eye making the glass shatter onto the ground. He fell covering his eye with his glove as he screamed loudly.

"**Boss!!**" Mana tried to swing a punch at him but Boss was already on his way around the counter towards Allen. He grabbed Allen by the collar and ripped off his glove to reveal his red, deformed hand.

"He's nothing more than a monster!" He chuckled slightly as if he'd won a battle. A woman covered her mouth in shock as the rest gasped in disbelief. Their eyes widened in horror seeing the sight of such a hideous hand. They've never seen anything like it. After several minutes of gasping Boss hit Allen again in the same place he through the glass making his face bleed more. "Get out of my store!" He threw him out of the open door into a pile of garbage outside.

"Damn you Boss!" Mana punched Boss making him fly back into the other end of his restaurant. He fainted against the wall. But no one seemed to care. They just kept their gaze at either Allen or Mana. "I'll never forgive you for this!" He ran out the store and ran over to where Allen was thrown into the garbage. "Allen! Allen are you-?" Mana paused to see that Allen was crying, and he was sure it wasn't from the pain in his eye. After a second glimpse he started to cry himself. "Don't worry buddy." He struggled to find comforting words. "I'll have you home in no time." Mana took Allen into his hands and started down the street only to catch the eyes of the shocked people.

He quickly turned away and concentrated on the road that stretched out before them. The sun was beginning to set and there at left at the door was Allen's bloody glove that he might as well leave behind…

**I thought of this plot today and decided to make it the third chapter! This is the longest out of all of them so far. .sniff. poor Allen! I hope he'll be all right! Well I look forward for you all to read the 4****th**** chapter so let me get working! Sayonara! Akane out! .fist. **


	4. Never give Up

Allen lay on Mana's lap. He refused to let him bandage up his eye, covering his whole face with his spare glove and hand. He stayed on his lap sobbing uncontrollably eventually some of the times sobbing quietly. He never would have thought that would happen to him. Before all of the villagers enjoyed his presence until the man named Boss destroyed it. He released his secret to everyone and Mana was sure people were spreading it around like a plague.

Most of the time Mana was able to walk around the house leaving Allen by his lonesome. But the love he had towards him kept him with him most of the time.

…

While Mana went into the kitchen to fetch something to eat Allen stayed in his room leaning against the chest he was looking through just a few days ago. He eventually stopped covering his face with his hands and let his auburn hair cover the injured part of his face. The sun past through his window faintly shining to it's same corner. Allen stared blankly at the space not really looking at it at all. Mana walked into the room holding a plate with two rice balls. He walked over to Allen and knelt down the same when Allen shifted his head to stare away from him.

Mana sighed and place the plate down beside his feet. He sat beside him looking up at the ceiling with worried eyes. "You really need to eat something." He replied to the faint growl of Allen's stomach. "Look Allen. I know this is hard to be shunned from the people you love but…" He couldn't find anything to say after that, "I know dealing with this is hard at such a young age but I hate to see you like this. And I'm sure if they saw you like this, they'd be just as worried as I am."

Mana looked over to see Allen's unmoving body and sighed. He turned to say something but was cut off by Allen's unexpected response. "They hurt me…" He put his chin on his knee still not able to face Mana yet, "I know-I know I should get over it but… I can't." Allen's cries choked out of his words. He couldn't control himself feeling the pain and suffering he had kept inside since that day suddenly just burst out to his words and tears. "I was finally able to believe that I could truly start being able to fit in, in this town. That all of the people would accept me and take me in. I thought I could get a fresh start in this new town that my old parents abandoned me in. But… I was wrong. I can never comfort anyone…"

Allen's foster father sat frozen his hand still extended towards him. He kept repeating no into his mind trying to make Allen release that he was wrong. Allen suddenly wrapped his arms around him sobbing. The pain on the right side of his face grew as his salty tears poured onto his bruises. Mana ran his hand through Allen's hair finally able to smile with comfort again. "You're wrong." He replied. There was a little play his in his voice. Allen gasped and looked up interested in what his father had to say. Mana's smile brightened. "Wow." He giggled a little, "It's been a while since I've seen your face. But you're wrong," Mana brushed some of the hair from Allen's eyes, "_You _bring me comfort everyday. Just seeing your angelic face bring a smile to mine."

Allen stared blankly for a moment then his tears started to over flow even more, "Father!" He buried his face in his chest not even trying to stop the tears from flowing.

"Now, now, come on. I told you how much your face brought me comfort; now show me that smile I've been dying to see." Allen looked up, his face was red either from embarrassment or sadness, Mana couldn't tell. Allen smiled happily somehow making the room seem brighter. "That's it. Now I want to fix up that face of yours. It must be very irritating having been untreated for so long."

"Wa-wait!" Allen released his grip from him and crawled over to Mana's feet. "There's something I should do first." Mana shrugged watching Allen circle around him. Allen grabbed the plate with the rice balls and took a huge bite out of one.

Mana's eyes grew wide and suddenly started laughing loudly. He wiped a tear from his eye, "Got me there. I never expected that." Allen smiled again showing bits of rice around his mouth. His stomach growled again this time louder taking advantage of the cheery moment "You and that big appetite of yours are back." He smirked. He stood up and pointed towards the kitchen, "I'll go make us something good to eat!"

…

"I'm almost done." Mana replied. He was bandaging Allen's eye-which wasn't so bad now since the swelling went down in the couple of days-and he had just finished putting the ointment on it. Allen clinched the wooden stool tightly trying to ease the pain. He kept repeating the word "ouch" in his head to zone it out. The stew that Mana was currently making sat boiling on the stove not quiet ready to be pushed aside yet. "There." Mana taped the last part of the bandage onto his face. A tear sat in the corner of Allen's eye as he opened it. "Aw come on. It wasn't that bad." The white bandage covered the right part of Allen's face. He put his hand over the bandage and stroked it gently relieved that it was over. "Now remember Allen." Allen looked up at the smiling Mana who held up his index finger, "Remember to never give up. Keep moving forward." He winked and turned to walk up towards the stove.

_Never give up? Always move forward? _Allen smiled, _I'll do it for you, Father. _

**Chapter 4 complete Looking forward to chapter 5!**

**-Akane **


	5. Deceased

Allen's heart skipped a beat. _Why do I feel so cold? _The chill in the air worried Allen sending an occasional chill up his spine. He pulled the covers over his head and wrapped his arms around his knees to try and keep the cold out. But it wasn't an average cold. It was the kind of feeling like you've lost someone. _What's going on? _A spark went through him making him jump, "Mana?" Allen climbed out of bed and ran out of his room. It was extremely dark in the house as well as outside. He had no idea what time it was but he kept running. "Mana?" He called when he finally made it to Mana's room. Allen knocked on the door lightly, "Mana?" He turned the knob slowly so it wouldn't make a sound. The lock clicked open and he pushed the door open carefully. The moon light shined on Mana's pale body making him seem for distant than he was. "Mana?"

Usually Mana was able to wake up from Allen's faint calls. He was always a light sleeper, something was wrong. Allen's eyes widened as he ran over to his father. He knelt down beside him shaking his body frantically. "Father? Father please wake up!" But he didn't, he just shook frantically from the pushes Allen was giving him. He put his ear to his chest. It was a cold and hard as a rock and he couldn't hear a heart beat. His eyes widened more. "No you can't be…" Tears streamed down his cheeks moistening his bandage. He ripped it off from being an irritation. He leaned against him, "What happened to moving forward?" He sobbed loudly now hiding his face in the covers. "**Mana!**"

"Hey kid!" A passing policemen shouted through the open window. Maybe that was another reason why it was so cold. "Keep it-!" His sentence trailed off when he saw Mana's unmoving body. "Mana… Walker?" The policemen jumped through the window and walked towards the body. "Sorry kid but we're going to have to take him away."

Allen grew scared now, "No! You can't take him away! I don't want him to go!"

"Look kid! He's already **gone**! You can't do _anything _to help him now!" He shouted making Allen jump, more tears streaming down his cheeks. "Look I'm sorry but we have to. If we don't take him away now he's going to rot in this house and you wouldn't want to look at him that way."

"I… I can't…" He held onto Mana tighter, his cold body made him shiver. _He's the only one who accepted me… Please don't take him away!_"

The policemen looked down, "Sorry," The began to rise as he took out his walky-talky, "Bring some back up here stat. Some has died." He said it with urgency but sorrow in his voice. He truly felt sorry for the boy.

While the cop gave the address of the house over the talky Allen took one last look at Mana. He wasn't smiling which made him cry more. He didn't want to leave. His eyebrows were pulled together and his mouth was pierced tightly. "You were in pain weren't you?" He whispered stroking the covers gently, "Why did you tell me… to keep moving forward if… you couldn't do it yourself?"

While Allen said his goodbyes five more cops came to take him away…

…

"The funeral will be held tomorrow," The local pastor at New Hope Church said, "I hope you'll be there." He was young but his eyes were tired. Allen stood silently staring at the ground on his right side. "I know this is hard for you _Allen_," He struggled to say his name, apparently he heard about his arm too. "But think of it this way; Mana is now looking watching over you from Heaven along with our loving Father, Jesus Christ. That's a better way of thinking about it rather him actually being dead." He trotted away.

_A better way? A better way!? Nothing you say can make this any better. The only person who truly loved me is now gone and I have no one left. I'm all alone now… Even if I do have a couple of living relatives we would never be able to find them do to the fact that I was abandoned and they probably wouldn't want me anyway… I think…_

_I'm abandoned by God... _Water escaped from his eyes as he walked inside his awaiting empty home.

**The story is almost over and I thank you all for staying with me thus far! Reviews are welcome and will be much appreciated! **


	6. Funeral

"How can I stop it Father?" Allen clinched his shirt, "How can I stop this hole that's eating up my heart?" Mana's funeral was about to start and he even put on his dark funeral clothes, but you couldn't get off the floor. He stroked the broken picture frame with his free hand. The picture of Mana hung out carelessly and he didn't even care that his arm was lying in a pile of glass. "I did Mana," He tried to fight back tears, "I truly thought I would be able to handle this but… I was wrong. I love you-way too much to be able to stop the tears." The giant clock tower that hovered over the town started to chime. It was 6 o'clock, that's when the funeral was supposed to start. "I'm sorry… Father, but I can't attend your funeral…"

…

Half-hearted people attended the funeral. Most of them looked around to see if Allen attended and others didn't even show up from the fact that they thought that he would. The pastor waited for a moment, sighed, and started the funeral.

…

Allen woke up a few hours later. It was dark outside and most of the house's lights were shut off. His arm stung from the pieces of glass stuck to it and blood smeared the wooden floor. His stomach growled but he ignored it trying to pay attention to his new task at hand. "Mana…" He stood up and walked out of his house not even caring that he left the door open. It was snowing heavily making it hard to see. Allen was in a trance. His eyes were dull and he was shaking wildly from the below zero temperatures. His feet dragged and his arms dangled. Then finally he made it to Mana's grave. His grave was a great distance from anyone else's. But despite that it had a beautiful grave marker. It was about the size of Allen himself and in capital letter was his full name. He read the grave marker silently to himself, "Mana… Walker…" The sound of his name brought tears to his eyes, "Mana…" They began to over flow. Allen fell to the ground hugging the end of the cross tightly, "Why did you have to leave me all alone?" He cried in a whisper. Allen was even colder feeling the snow against his clothes and skin. He clinched his chest again, "Why did you have to leave this gaping hole in my chest?"

The sharp went blew against his cheek making him grow quiet. "I feel… so sleepy." He admitted, "I wish I could be there with you. Wherever you are… Up there with you or down here with me… I'd be fine with either one…"

"You would, would you?" A masculine voice asked from the distance. It was incredibly cheery, almost childlike in a sense. Allen looked up and it took awhile for the person to appear out of the storm. The man appeared over Mana's tome stone. "Mana Walker, huh?" He said obviously reading his name off the marker. "Shall I resurrect him for you?"

Allen looked up, tears still flowing down his cheeks. _The man I'm not even related by blood to… is the man that I've wanted to save… _Allen opened his mouth to speak but only whispers came out.

"Hm?"

"Can you…? Can you really?"

TBC…


	7. Promise

**Finally the last chapter! This story was way shorter from the rest of mine didn't I tell ya!? Well I hope you've enjoyed it and Sayonara for now! **

"Who are you?"

"Well my boy, I am the Earl of Millennium." He put his arm across his chest as if he were a servant. "Would you like me to bring your precious Mana back to life?" All Allen could do was nod not even a smile crept across his face. "But in order to do it, you must call out his name. He'll only come back from the sound of the voice of a loved one."

…

With a flash of light the new body that the Earl fashioned for Mana came to life. His name was engraved on it's helmet and his body was like a skeleton. That's all he could be in this world now. Allen smiled faintly, "Mana…?"

Mana growled at the sound of his name. He wasn't supposed to be here and that made him angrier. "Al…en…" His voice was broken and was too low and demonic to be his. He felt hideous being trapped in a body that not even God, right now, could destroy. He practiced his voice over and over again in his head until he thought he was able to speak clearly for Allen to understand. "How dare you… turn me into an akuma…?" _I thought you would be able to handle this! You broke down so much that you turned me into an akuma!? _He screamed inside his head as he spoke his words.

Allen's smile faded as Mana wrapped his wiry arm around his neck. "Mana? What are you?" He struggled to release Mana's grip.

With a slash of his sword-shaped arm he cut the left side of Allen's face. "Allen!" He screamed out in pain as blood gushed out of his wound. "How could you do this!?" He slammed him into the ground. "I curse you!" Tears in the form of blood ran down his mechanical face as salty tears ran down Allen's. The Earl watched from a distance chuckling lightly at his words. "I curse you, Allen Walker!"

Just then his arm started to change inside his glove eventually ripping the glove open completely. In place of Allen's deformed, red left arm was a huge, white anti-akuma weapon. It swung quickly and crushed part of Mana's body. His metallic scream filled the crisp air making Allen jump.

The cross that was embedded in his hand glowed brightly after finally being awakened. _Wh-what's going on? _He thought. The Earl's expression turn to one of hate as he watched the boy's arm change. Then he vanished into the dark fog. His weapon started to drag him across the ground wildly and fast, "What in the world…? It's moving on its own…" At first he had his attention on his arm but a shock ran through his body as he saw Mana's condition.

His joints sounded as if a mechanical toy was about to break. He was dragging himself best as he could as his body gave off smoke. Tears swelled up in Allen's eyes, "Mana…!?" He cried. He dug his nails into the ground trying to slow down his arm but he couldn't. Blood dripped out of his fingernails. "Stop! Leave Mana alone!" He was surprised no one came awake from all his screaming. Maybe it wasn't as loud as he thought. Mana looked over towards Allen, stopping at his position. Tears streamed out of his eyes like a cascade, "Run… Run, Father!!" His screams were sharp now.

Mana looked away as Allen's arm reached his body, "Allen… I… love you…" He could hear the crying in his voice. "Please destroy me." That sentence was so clear to him that his eyes widened. His left eye throbbed at the side of his father being destroyed. Allen screamed loudly, its sharp tone cut threw the air.

…

Allen couldn't see who was walking towards him. The images in his head kept repeated that night like a broken record. His eye continued to throb not yet back to its normal color. His hair was no longer an auburn color and was now as white as the snow. The person knelt down in front of him and yet he could still not see who it was. All he knew is that he was an outsider.

"A soul trapped inside an akuma is doomed forever." He said, "It is bound to be the Millennium Earl's toy for eternity. There is no other way to save such a soul except to exorcise it."

The words went through him. _Exorcise…? _

"You are," He continued, "a human born with an anti-akuma weapon within you… Such a mercurial destiny… Yet another soldier of life doomed by fate." Allen looked up his eyes dull, "Do you wish to become an exorcist?"

…

Allen looked back at his distant town, a suitcase in hand. His look was completely changed. His white hair flowed in the wind along with his new white and black outfit. Master Cross continued towards their new destination while Allen stood and watch. He could see Mana's grave just faintly from the distance. His face was filled with determination as he stared. _I'll make it up to you… _Allen thought as he started off, _I'll fix this whole mess so you can forgive me. I promise to make it up to you. _Allen faded in the distance leaving his old, torn glove behind…

**Well that's it! I finally finished Past of an Exorcist and I am truly happy! 7 chapter in… 3 days was it? Anyway thanks for sticking by me, Allen, and Mana to the end!**


	8. Starting over

_Allen's POV_

Well it's the start of a new life, a fresh start. I've abandoned my home to find a piece of mind maybe. No… I wanted to make it up to Mana. He deserved better than what I've shown him so I'm going to earn his forgiveness as best as I can. Though it'd be a lot easier if… I didn't have-a FREAKIN' nutcase as a master!

_Normal POV _

Cross sat silently in the first class cart drinking red wine. His laughter was so demonic and hysterical that you couldn't help but know he was drunk. While Master Cross drank and talked loudly amongst himself Allen sat outside, on the ground, with all of their luggage. (5 cases were Cross's and the small one was Allen's) He was unbearably uncomfortable feeling one of the sharp corners of one of Cross's suitcases against his spine. He cried silently as the young, female attendant watched him from the corner of her eye feeling a little sorry for him.

Allen whined slightly trying not to let his Master hear. But obviously he did for he forced the door open hitting Allen on the side of his head. He fell over feeling an even sharper pain on his back than before. Allen sat up rubbing his head slightly, "Master Cross…?"

"Quit your whining!" He replied coldly taking another sip of his wine, "You don't see _me _complaining do you?" He slammed the door shut.

_Maybe it's because you're not the one who has to sit out on a pile of __**your **__luggage! _

…

The time it took to reach Italy was extremely long. Though the days did seem short (thank goodness for all of the intense training Cross has been giving Allen) but the nights were long especially when it snowed. Sometimes at night Allen would ask the one of the night attendants if he could sleep in a cart for the night and since they saw the hell that Cross put him through everyday they gladly let him stay. One day…

…

Cross opened the door kicking Allen on his way out. He fell over slamming his face into the floor. "Ow!" He looked up at Cross who was staring towards the end of the train. "Master? What's going on?"

He chuckled a little turning his face towards him slightly. He stared at him through the corner of his eye. "This is our stop."

"**What!?!?**" Cross grabbed a suitcase leaving Allen to carry the rest, "But Master! What about you're other suitcases?

He chuckled again his back towards him, "Those aren't _my _suitcases!" The train rocked though with not enough force to send a person flying. "Now hurry up! We gotta leave!"

"Ah! Um, okay!" He grabbed his suitcase and frantically ran after his Master. They ran into the second first class carts and stopped under a ceiling door. He pushed the door open. The door slammed harshly to the ceiling. It almost seemed like it was torn off from the wind. Cross grabbed onto the rims and pulled himself onto the roof. Allen stared at the maniac who was his mentor. "Wh-what are you doing!?"

"This is our stop."

"But, but-!?"

"Just hurry up before you're left behind!" He shouted. The winds outside accelerated rapidly making Allen feel like he was going towards his death. His mentor was literally the death of him. But Allen obeyed. He didn't want to be left behind again. He climbed up the door. When he was completely out of the cart his whole body flew like a flower in the wind. He held on tightly to the rim of the ceiling trying not to fly off. He pulled his legs towards his body so they would fly all over the place. His snow, white hair blew rapidly. He looked carefully around for Cross trying not to lose focus of his grip.

"Allen!" He looked forward to see his Master standing on the train as if he weren't struggling at all. "Come on!" He jumped off into the fog that surrounded them.

He gasped, "Master Cross!?" He began to look frantically around him but he lost his grip and slid off the train that he held onto with dear life. He yelled loudly but it drowned out from the wind. He fell towards the ground eventually falling unconscious.

**Because of a nice review I decided to extend this story until the day Master Cross leaves Allen in Italy which starts the first chapter of the book. Stay with me until the end 'kay!? It won't be that much longer! **


	9. Landing

Allen couldn't feel any weight under him. He thought he was floating though he was traveling at such a high speed the thought raised out of his mind quickly. It was so dark and cold that night he felt numb. Falling at such a high altitude can really take a lot out of a guy. He wanted to keep his eyes closed. This is the most peaceful he's felt since he went with Cross. (Obviously he forgot he was falling.) He wanted this to last for a while and maybe not even for that long. Just until he was able to collect his thoughts.

_Wait a minute! Where am I? Didn't something just happen? Wake up Allen Walker you can't leave Mana waiting forever to correct what you've done! _Allen's eyes popped open quickly. He gasped and screamed forgetting that he was in a life or death situation. Allen flipped in the air taking most of his breath away. _Where's…? Where's Master Cross!? _He looked around and he couldn't see him in sight. He was all alone… again…

"**Allen!**" He looked up to see his master falling a few yards away from him. He pointed down, "Come over here!"

Allen stared dumb-founded, _How am I supposed to __**fall **__a certain way? _Suddenly the gravity felt a lot heavier which made him fall faster. Tears he didn't mean to shed flew out of his eyes making it seem like they were floating. He flipped rapidly eventually falling right under Cross.

Then a town opened up in front of them as if they were staring at a painting. The buildings were huge from bird's eye view and they were closer fast! They avoided the buildings and fell into a nearby forest. Allen had no idea where Cross landed while he just tried his best not to yelp in pain. He landed on a tree branch, knocking the wind out of him. He fell over landing on the ground on his back.

Allen couldn't breathe for a moment. His body wouldn't let him exhale, but eventually he finally released what little breath he had left in his body. He coughed and put his arms stretched out beside him. _I'm so exhausted! _He thought staring up at the cloudy, white sky. The trees opened up above him allowing him to see the sky clearly. A crow flew over head eventually disappearing into the opening of the trees.

_Wait a minute… Something's missing, not quite right… This is __**way **__too peaceful for it to be real. _A branched was thrown at his stomach. He flinched clutching his stomach tightly trying to ease the pain. _I knew it… This is not my idea of 'my happy place'. _

"Wake up! You shouldn't be sleeping in the middle of training!" Cross replied to Allen's downtime, appearing out of the trees. "That was some warm-up huh? Do you feel like you're ready for more?"

"_Warm-up_!?" Allen stood up quickly clinching his fists tightly, "How the hell do you call that a warm-up!?"

Cross threw another stick at him, hitting his head. "Watch your language!" Allen rubbed his head feeling a bump form in the spot. Cross sighed as he picked up his suitcase. The winged creature on his hat swung a wing at him. He never noticed that thing was there let alone, _alive_. "Now that we're at our first destination I think we'd outta settle down," He turned towards Allen with a smirk, "don't you?"

**Chapter 9 complete! Chapter 10 start commencing! **


	10. Ukkikun

Allen's hotel room was smaller than Cross's (of course). Though he didn't mind of course. He liked smaller spaces; he'd be able to fill the gap more. He stared at the door hoping that Mana would just appear out of no where. But he didn't. Allen tightened his grip on his chest as he grieved for a moment. He gasped exhaling the breath he held for so long. _I can't break down like this. Mana is watching and he wouldn't want to see me like this. Or… did he? He probably grew so mad at me for what I did he'd __**want **__me to suffer. Would he? _

"Allen," Cross called from behind his door knocking slightly, "I would respect your privacy but I'm _not _that kind of person." He replied. He kicked the door over. It slammed hard onto the floor sending a gust of wind towards Allen. He stared, his eyes wide with surprise. How crazy was he? Master Cross walked further into his room looking back at the door, "You're going to fix that later."

"Wh-wh-wh-wha-?" He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, "What do you need, Master?"

"I think it's about time to start your exorcist training."

…

Allen and Cross were once again back in the forest. It seemed lighter the last time they were here. Maybe it was because the sky was actually clear today. The trees sparkled when the sun was behind them and the landscape would be perfect for a normal hike. After a few hours of hiking in silence Allen finally spoke up, "Master?" He looked around suddenly feeling frightened, "What are we doing here?"

Cross chuckled lightly at first and then broke into utter hysterics. He turned to face him, "You're here for-," He stopped waiting for the surprise to come. Allen stood dumb-founded until a creature pounced on him. He fell over feeling extreme weight on his body. "You're here to take care of that." He replied with another light chuckle.

"What-the-hell-?" He choked out feeling his life force being drained away from his body.

"**I told you to stop your fuckin' cussing!**" He threw another bottle at him.

"Ow!" _You're the bad influence! You stop first! _Allen looked up to see the humongous thing that sat on his body. "How is that!?" It was-to his surprise-a dinosaur! "How is that even possible!?" He screamed squirming out from underneath its body. He pointed rapidly, "I-it's a dinosaur!"

"No you idiot! It's a dog!" He hollered.

_A-a dog-shaped dinosaur…? _He looked up feeling his eyes widened each second. "But it-it's too-!"

"Stop over exaggerating. He's no taller than you." Allen calmed down for a moment realizing he was right. The dog was just as tall, maybe even a little bit taller. Though that's what scared him. The animal was only a pup and it was just his size. "His name is Ukki-kun and you'll be taking care of him for today." Ukki-kun's fur was a brown-auburn color and he had crow, black eyes. He was extremely cute in any little girl's opinion but Allen seemed horrified of the dog.

Cross started to leave. He stopped and turned around forgetting something, "And you might want to put him on a _leash_. He can get a little… _aggressive _now and then." He disappeared into the forest.

Allen stared shocked, "He just… he just left me. Behind in the woods with this puppy?" He looked up at Ukki-kun through the corner of his eye, "He's not so bad I guess. He seems pretty well behaved to me. What did he mean by 'aggressive'?" Allen sighed seeing there was noting else to do. He stood up and whipped the dirt from his shirt. "Um…" Allen had no idea how to handle an animal. Being in a town that always snowed there weren't a lot of pets you could keep. "Ukki… kun?" He extended his hand so he could pet the dog's head. He looked away not quite sure if it'd be safe or not.

The puppy growled silently and then Allen felt a sharp pain on his hands. He jumped taking his hand back from Ukki-kun. "Ow!" He bit him! "What was that-!?" Allen paused suddenly seeing the dog outraged. His few stood up from his body making him seem more ferocious than before. "Ah! Nice… doggy…" He stepped back slowly putting his hands up in the air. Ukki-kun lunged for him and that' when it turned ugly.

**That ends chapter 10! Stay with me for more!**


	11. First Experience

**Beware of my precious Ukki-kun! (my plant in real life).**

**He'll eat your soul!**

Ukki-kun lunged for Allen biting him in the arm. He screamed out in pain as he tried to shake the dog off. Ukki yelped flying across the field. He landed on his feet and stood in his ready position. Allen watched his arm feeling the burn from the bite. Ukki growled and ran towards him again opening his abnormally large mouth to show his enormous teeth. Allen jumped back, _What the heck are you?_

Allen's eye started to throb intensely. He grunted as he put his hands to his left eye. He held it tightly trying to ease the pain but it never went away. _Wh-what's going on!? _Ukki-kun sat still for Allen to get over his pain. He smiled demonically like no dog would ever be capable of unless he wasn't human…

Allen released his eye staring off into the scenery. His eye continued to throb. His vision turned more black and white each second that past. _Wh-what's wrong with my vision? _He ran his finger down his scar, "Is it… because of my eye?" He whispered to himself. Blood dripped down his cheek when the pain subsided. An invisible force hit Allen when the pain disappeared completely. He sat on his knees staring down at the green grass below him. He kept his arm up as if he were expecting something to fall into his hand. His eyes were wide with surprise and pain; it came so unexpectedly. He looked up at the dog seeing something so horrifying it made him sick. Floating over him was an akuma. Allen fell back in horror as he watched Ukki-kun change.

Its skin ripped open to reveal its uglier, circular form. The akuma was huge and it almost completely covered the whole diameter of the space they had. Allen watched in horror as the thing hovered over his body. The akuma's small face stared down at him with demonic eyes. It pointed on of its bullets at him and charged its weapon to get ready to fire. Allen gasped exhaling the breath he held in for so long. He scooted back; he wasn't capable of standing up yet. The akuma shot the bullet towards Allen who was still struggling to scoot away. _I can't…! _He rolled over to the side as the bullet landed beside him. It created an earthquake around him causing him to fly up in the air. He landed on the ground with a loud _thud! _He rolled over holding his stomach tightly. _What is that thing? Is it a... akuma? Like Master Cross said? _

Allen's deformed arm started to tingle. He held it in his other hand as he watched it transform. It grew bigger into its form of an anti-akuma weapon. He grew terrified each minute it changed. _This is the thing… This is the thing that killed Mana! _Finally it finished changing and his cross glowed its green. That's when he felt something that he never would have thought he could with his weapon.

_Trust…_

He was suppose to fight with it right? The akuma shot another bullet at him this time as a set. His arm blocked all of the bullets. They bounced off of it like a pebble to a wall. Allen suddenly felt a stroke of confidence as he stood up from the ground. He extended his arm towards the awaiting akuma. Even with that Allen still felt a little scared but not as terrified as before. He stumbled not sure if he should run up to it but he did anyway picking up velocity each second. The akuma was about to fire another round of bullets. Allen closed his eyes tightly as he looked away when his weapon reached for the akuma. He felt his arm run through the akuma which made him feel sicker. Screams came from the akuma as its body began to shatter and the soul was released. The soul turned back into a teenaged boy. He was smiling at Allen which made him feel sad. He never saw Mana's soul like that.

The soul and the akuma disintegrated completely into the air leaving Allen on the cold ground alone. His arm returned to normal and his tears soaked into the ground. _Was Mana that thankful when I sent him back up there? I hope so… _He wiped the tears from his eyes hoping he wouldn't have to shed another tear until he earned Mana's forgiveness. He inhaled and exhaled slowly trying to call himself down.

"So! How'd dog-sitting Ukki-kun go!?" Cross just appeared out of no where carrying his usual glass of wine.

"How'd it go!?" Allen spun around furious, "I almost got killed by a-a _thing _just now and you asked how dog-sitting went!? How long were you there!? Did you know about this the _whole _time!?"

"I told you this was part of your training. Did you really think that watching a dog would help with being an exorcist?"

Allen looked down feeling the tears swell up in his eyes again.

_That's not the kind of training I would like to have… _

**I'll write at least 3 chapters for you this weekend to catch up! Keep reading and review my story so sayonara!**


	12. Joshua

Allen watched the water in his bathtub run. His arms were on the edge and his head was resting upon them. Drops of water splattered on his cheeks making them feel warmer. The strongest feeling he felt wasn't the disgusted that he felt towards Cross but the sadness he felt towards the teenaged soul. Is every akuma that way? If he keeps having to kill an akuma will he be forced to see that akuma's soul? Could he handle it? He wasn't sure but he didn't want to keep seeing it.

_The soul was crying… _

Was the soul crying… because the person who imprisoned them wasn't strong enough to deal with it? He sighed. He was surprised that he had enough time to think about it. Usually Cross would come bursting into the room but he went out or an _errand_. What _kind _of errand? He sighed again and undressed himself to wait for the comforting atmosphere of his tube.

…

Allen finished his bath about an hour later. He couldn't believe the filth that was on his body from the past few days. Because of training he barely had time to take a bath. He stared at his black-fabricate curtains. The sun was shining threw them which was a rarity in this town. I decided it was a nice day to take a walk. Clear his mind and explore a city. He got dressed quickly and left.

Allen combed out his hair with his hands. He felt so exited about exploring he forgot to comb it. His hair was still wet but having the afternoon breeze run threw it felt nice. He never explored a town before. Despite him and Mana being part of a circus and being able to travel, they never actually got to site see. The town was lively and bright. The kind of town he wished he had back home. Salesmen surrounded the local apartments and small homes selling merchandise like cheep jewelry and foods. Kids wondered the streets playing with their toys. Men ran off to work in mines and fields while wives stayed home to clean. (Sorry if that offends you…) Truly a peaceful town.

He stopped in the middle of the dirt road. His head hung as he looked down at the ground but not actually _seeing _it. _Why couldn't my town be like this? It was before but… what happened? _"Hey!" A boy called from behind him. He turned around to see a boy, about his age, standing in front of him. He had dirty, blond hair and dark green eyes. He wore a white dress shirt with stripped, vertical, black pants and black shoes. It almost seemed like he was going to church. Allen opened his mouth and let out a faint _huh_? The boy extended his arm and reached out to grab Allen's hand. Allen saved him the trouble and put his hand in his feeling it shake. "You must be new in town. Hi, my name is Joshua and welcome to Mineral Town." He smiled.

Allen smiled a half hearted smile, "Ni-nice to meet you too." He replied with less enthusiasm as he wanted, "My name is Allen.

…

"So Joshua," He looked up, "why do they call this town Mineral Town?"

He smiled looking at his feet as he walked, "Well, this is sort of a myth but a thousand years ago a simple Sheppard walked into the nameless town now Mineral Town. He claimed to simply being a traveling Sheppard but there was more to him then he said. One day a man came into our town and spread catastrophe and mayhem all over the town. He and his men brought a disease, they carried, with them and eventually most of the people were either very sick with the disease or died from it in a couple of days." Allen listened carefully. It sounded very interesting to him and he didn't want to miss a detail. Joshua continued, "On day the Sheppard appeared before the man who wreaked havoc upon our town. No one knows how he did it but he successfully killed the man and he drove all the rest of his men away. Then in order to cure the diseased he sacrificed himself and used his powers he claimed to have and made the land grow herbal medicines that could cure the disease. The land became more fertile and the land had a lot of minerals. And because how Mineral Town got its name."

It took a while for the atmosphere around them to appear and the voices of the people echoed in their ears once again. "Wow, that is some history."

"Yup! So why did you come here?"

Allen had to think of something to say. _O yes! _He thought sarcastically, _Actually I'm here because my nut-case of a Master made us jump out of a plane and I'm here to start my exorcist training so I can hunt demons! Doesn't that sound fun!? _"I, uh, just came to visit, sightsee actually."

"Oh." Joshua nodded almost as if he were interested on what he said.

Joshua and Allen walked forward again and came across a theater. Allen could hear a familiar laughter in the distance and froze. He turned to see-, "What the **hell**!?"

**Wow! Chapter 12!**


	13. Secret Place

"What the **hell**!?" Allen stared furiously and surprised at the same time, "What the heck are you **doing **Master Cross!?" Joshua stood stunned. Cross was walking with a women at least 6 years younger than him. Cross stopped and stared at Allen not looking one bit surprised. He held up the women's hands in his own like he was stroking them.

"I'm walking," Was his only reply.

"_Walking_!? The best excuse you could come up with is that you were taking a _walk_!?" He pointed towards the women. She stepped back at sight of Allen's fingers in front of her. "And who is she!?"

"This is Jonae my girlfriend."

Allen let his arm dangle from his side as he slumped a little, "Gi-girlfriend…?" Jonae flashed a small smiled and waved her hand at the stunned boy.

"And what are you doing here? You're supposed to be fixing the door in your room."

"I did that already," Allen stood back to where Joshua was. "Now I'm hanging out with my new friend, Joshua." Joshua extended his hand only for it to be ignored by Cross.

"Come on Jonae. Let's go eat at that five star restaurant you promised. They walked away.

_Wait a minute… Is he… mooching off of her? Oh God I hope not! _"Well he's touchy." Joshua commented as he rubbed his hand on his shirt.

"Sorry he's not exactly… _normal_."

…

Allen and Joshua sat in the middle of an open field. They obviously had a lot of wildlife around their town. The long grass brushed his arms and the flowers sparkled in the distance. The sun just barely hid itself behind the ocean and the water sparkled like a gem. The wind blew the two boy's fair hair. "This is a great view!" Allen spread out his arms and closed his eyes.

"I know; isn't it?" He clinched his fists while he smiled. "This is my favorite spot to go to when I like to be alone." Allen put down his arms and stared at him. "I've never shone this to anybody before. But… I feel I can show it to you."

"Uh… thanks. This is really nice of you to trust me like this."

"Do you promise to never show this to anyone? This is my special place."

"Why?"

Joshua turned and stared off into the distance. His smile faded but he kept a straight face. "When I was younger my mother used to take me up here all the time. My father was never around and my mother used to work really early in the morning and late at night. Though despite her many hours she always found a time to either take the day off or just ditch her responsibilities to come with me here. It was my one chance to actually see her. I never came up here without her."

"Then… why now?"

"Well one day when I was about eight she scheduled a day when we would come here together. She was never late and sometimes she even came earlier than me. I sat at our usual meeting place: the bench by the light post. I waited and waited, but… she never came." Allen could hear him choking out his words. He must be taking this hard. "I ran home to see if she was there. The door was open which was unusual so I knew something was wrong. I ran inside and continuously called out her name. When I went into my room I saw my mother lying on the middle of the floor dead." Allen gasped, "She was brutally murdered. It seemed like something no human would be capable of doing. She left me a note. I knew it was for me, it had my name on it, but when I opened it to read it, it was too bloody for me to read it."

"Joshua I-"

"It was my fault." He put his hands together, clinching them tightly. "I insisted that my mother take me that day. I was being selfish." He almost shouted but he calmed himself down. "I pressured her into taking me. I need someone to talk to. I had a horrible day at school and need someone to comfort me. I knew she was extremely busy that day but I made her come anyway. She always left her work clothes at home and always put on her casual clothes she barely had a chance to wear. If I-," His hair covered his teary eyes, "If I hadn't pushed her to spend time with me that day she would have-!" He covered his eyes with his hands and sobbed. "She would have been at her job, safe and wouldn't have died at home." He shook as the wind blew against his body.

"Joshua, don't say it's your fault. All you did was have your mother come with you to your special place. You did nothing else."

"But I pressured her-"

"That doesn't mean it's your fault she died. She just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"She wouldn't have been in the wrong place if it weren't for me." He sniffed as he wiped the tears from his eyes. They smeared across is face.

"Joshua, you can still keep your mother alive. She wouldn't want to know that you remember her from your guilt." Allen smiled, looking up at the sky. "If you really love her, and you want to keep thinking of this place as something special you need to start remembering the good times you had with her in this place. The times you had together, the love you two shared, you need to start remembering it when you come here."

When Allen looked back at Joshua he was staring up at the sky with his straight face. Suddenly he smiled and laughed silently as he looked down, "You know Allen. You sure say a lot of wise words when you're not even a teenager yet."

Allen smiled looking down at his knees. _Well if my Master can't talk wise someone should… _

"But thank you," He looked up somehow surprised by seeing Joshua's face. Tears ran down his cheeks but somehow he managed to smile, "If it wasn't for you I'd be thinking about the same thing you told me I shouldn't." He sighed wiping the tears from his eyes again. He stared up at the darkened sky; the sun was almost completely hidden by the ocean. "I always thought I wasn't worthy of going up into the sky with her. I thought that if I went up there she'd reject me completely. But now… I'm not so afraid of going up there with her anymore."

Suddenly both Joshua and Allen felt a sharp pain in their bodies…

**I can't believe this story is going to longer than my first DGM story. I just can't! It was originally supposed to be 7 chapters but I continued with it anyway. Thank you for all of the reviews and favorites! Chapter 14's coming up next! Sayonara! **


	14. Forgiven Friend

Allen gripped his shoulder tightly trying to stop the bleeding. _Oh no… What was that? _"Joshua-!?" He looked over to see Joshua's injured side. He was collapsed on the ground breathing heavily. "Josh… ua?" And explosion came from behind them and the two young boys rolled down the hill. When they reached the bottom Allen protected Joshua by lying on him while another explosion occurred. He looked up breathless, "Is it a-?"

An akuma appeared before them, floating where they once were. One out of a million of its missiles pointed at them with amazing accuracy. "Allen…?" Allen turned under pressure after hearing Joshua's faint voice. His eyes were partly closed.

"Josh-…?" He quickly looked back up at the akuma that was charging up its weapon. _Oh no… _Allen held Joshua tighter. _Help… _The akuma fired millions of bullets at the boys. At the sound of the shots Allen closed his eyes tightly awaiting the pain. Just then Allen felt his left arm move. He felt it get heavier but from the sound of the bullets being shot, he quickly forgot about it.

After a few minutes the shooting stopped. He was quickly stunned that he didn't feel any pain. He opened his eyes to see a white surface around them and it took him a while to figure out that it was his arm. It acted on its own or Allen controlled it subconsciously. His arm converted back to normal and he suddenly felt a wave of sadness rush over him. _Oh no… _Every part of Joshua's special place was gone. It all died: the flowers, the trees, the grass… Huge black stars covered the dirt field and the trees. _Joshua! _Allen looked below him to see Joshua though not in the condition he wanted. "Joshua!?" Tears ran down his cheeks dropping onto Joshua's pale skin.

Joshua was still alive but a pool of blood formed around him. His cheeks was covered in a huge black star and a bullet would was in his arm. He opened his eyes slightly. "Allen…?" He turned wanting to see what the fields looked like now.

"Joshua! Please don't move!"

All he did was smile. He turned over to see his special place destroyed and lifeless. He struggled a sigh, "You were right Allen…" He finally said. "Right when this happened… I, again, thought that it was my fault…" Allen gasped, "An-and look what happened." He chuckled a little. "Well…" He looked up at the struggling Allen, "At least this'll be my time to die instead of a person I love."

Allen's eyes widened, "How can you say that!? You'll live! I **promise **I'll save you!"

He shook his head slowly; more stars appeared on his face. "This is it for me and you know what…? I'm not afraid. I've wanted to die soon so I can go up there and tell my mother I'm sorry even if it isn't my fault." He started to choke out his words. "I'm glad I'm leaving now… even if it's painful."

Blood ran down his face. Allen pulled up the bangs from Joshua's forehead to see another bullet mark on his head. "Joshua…" He felt more tears run down his face burning the cuts on his cheeks. Joshua smiled laying his head back on the ground. He stared up into the orange sky for a moment. _I'll enjoy this, even if it is for a moment… _He closed his eyes completely exhaling his last breath before his lifeless head turned to the side. "Joshua…?"

His body turned black and suddenly crumbled to a million pieces. Allen stared as gas floated out of his body. He coughed uncontrollably as he scooted back a little. He waved the gas away from him as he let go of his mouth. "What… just… happened?" Tears flooded out again, "Did Joshua just… die?" He hid his face in between his legs curling up into a ball. _I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't save you… _

Allen heard a shriek from the akuma coming from behind him. He already knew who it was. "Master… Cross…" He whispered to himself hoping he didn't hear.

"Do I have to do _everything _around here!?" He shouted obviously distant, "Now come on! Let's go back to the hotel!"

**In loving memory of Joshua. I'll miss writing about him even if I **_**did **_**only write him in 3 chapters! Here are the 3 chapters I promised you! **


	15. Something Wise

Allen was laying on his bed his face in the covers. His tight grip on the sheets made his hands bleed making the white sheets pink. _Would he have died if I never met him…? Maybe, this was my fault this time… _He chuckled a little turning to his side. _Damn… I should take my own advice. _His face was wet and from the ceiling fan it sort of made him cool down. He lied quietly for a couple of minutes before crying again, "I'm sorry…" He sniffed, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you…"

"Allen!" Cross forced the door open thankfully without taking out its screws. It slammed into the wall creating a huge hole in it. Allen sighed not feeling up to Cross's boasting today. "Get up! We gotta go!"

"No!" Allen hollered furiously, "I'm not doing anymore of **your **training!"

Cross snickered as he stomped over to Allen's bed. He grabbed him by the collar and held him face to face. "He's dead you brat! Stop living in the past!"

Allen released his grip propping back on the bed, "I'm not living in the past! It _happened _in the present!" He tightened his fists, "A friend died because I wasn't strong enough to protect him! I couldn't save him from that-that _thing_!"

Cross sighed taking a sip from his wine Allen didn't even know he had. "Then wouldn't it make sense to _continue _with your training then?" Allen looked up as Cross took another loud gulp, "If you weren't _strong enough _wouldn't you want to continue with your exorcist training as soon as possible? If you don't want another innocent life to be slaughtered by an akuma then you better shape up. It's not everyday that any regular human gets to be a savior of the world.

Allen stared blankly at his master, tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe how _wise _he sounded. But after the surprise he found that Cross was right. Maybe he _was _dwelling on the past and he should continue his training if he really wanted to save a person he loved.

"Now come on. We gotta go!"

"Huh? Go where?"

"This isn't our destination you know. We still have some ways to go until we reach Italy. And… pack up fast."

"Why?"

"It's best you don't know." Allen tried to pack up his stuff quickly. He really didn't have a lot to pack since he didn't bring a lot. But in the middle a hard knock echoed from the door. The door slammed open revealing angry hotel workers, managers and his girlfriend, Jonae. They were all holding some kind of weapon which made Allen nervous. "They're here!" Cross ran behind him opening his window. Cross looked back at Allen, one leg already swung out the window. "Sayonara boy, best luck to 'ya!" He jumped out leaving Allen with the angry people.

Allen's jaw dropped open. "Master Cross!? How could you just leave me here!?"

"Pay off your debt!" A manager called.

"Give me my money!" Yelled Jonae swinging her tennis racket.

Allen screamed closing his suitcase quickly trying to escape fast. He jumped out the window most of his clothes flying out of his case. Allen dropped to the ground one of his pairs of underwear falling on his head. "Master Cross! What did you do!?"

**Sorry the chapter's so short but here's chapter 15 for you! Sayonara! **


	16. Escaping a Dept

Allen struggled to catch his breath. He made it on the train his master hitch-hiked on thankfully and he wanted to catch his breath before he snapped at him. His hands shook on his knees. The train rattled making Allen unsteady. Once he caught his breath he sucked in a huge amount and started to scream. "What the **hell **happened back there!? What did you do!? _Why _did you leave me there!?"

Allen was so thankful they were in the first class cart or he would have felt sorry for the other passengers to see him like this. "There's a simple answer actually: I didn't pay for the hotel bill." He took another sip of his wine.

Allen's jaw dropped, "**What!? **Are you out of your mind!? Why didn't you pay the bill? People were after you with forks and ropes; you **had **to have done something worse than that also!"

"I didn't pay it cause I have no money. I've been broke for a couple of months actually."

"Ah, you don't? How have you been keeping yourself alive all those months!?" Allen remembered Cross's old girlfriend, Jonae. "Oh God… don't tell me…" He pointed at him sounding disgusted. "You _mooch_ off of woman?"

Cross chuckled, "I'd rather not say…" He took another sip.

"Oh God! That is so disgusting! How can you **do **that!?"

"It's a dog-eat-dog world, Allen. You'll have to do some things you don't want to say alive." He placed his glass down and put his elbow on the top of the seat.

Allen's index finger dangled in the air, "Dog… eat… dog…?" Allen sighed walking out of the cart. _How did I end up with a Master like him…! _

"Allen, wait!" Cross called from the closed door.

Allen groaned walking back into his cart, "What now…?"

"You know, if you don't like that style of getting money how bout you try something different?" A demonic grin spread across Cross's face.

"Like… what…?"

"Have you ever… _gambled_?"

**Sorry this chapter is so short! I just wanted the gambling part to be in its own chapter. So prepare yourself! In chapter 17, prepare to see Allen gamble! **


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